Defeat MSA Alliance & MSA United International to Host 3rd Annual All-Community Virtual MSA Conference, with vFairs As a Technology Partner

Defeat MSA Alliance and the MSA United International Consortium are hosting their annual virtual conference, with the theme of “Many Hearts, One Hope” on September 10-11, 17-18, and 24-25, 2022. The two organizations advocate for people diagnosed with Multiple System Atrophy, a rare, fast, and fatal brain disease. The global conference will raise awareness, discuss promising biomedical research, educate the general community and offer support to the worldwide MSA community. The conference is entirely free to all participants.

Saint Clair Shores, Michigan – – The 3rd Annual All-Community Virtual MSA Conference will take place on September 10-11, 17-18, and 24-25, 2022. This year’s conference promises to be the largest and most diverse MSA conference ever held. Last year, the event brought together over 1,000 registered attendees, who engaged with 42 speakers presenting in 8 different languages. This year, nine different charities are participating. Registration is now open at: https://defeatmsa.vfairs.com

The event is the result of many minds united in purpose, to hear from the experts and to interact with others on the same journey. It will target patients, caregivers, former caregivers, healthcare providers, and researchers. The lineup for this year’s conference includes Dr. Wouter Peelaerts who will speak about infections and MSA; Dr. Anthony Lang who will speak about current treatments; Dr. Simon Lewis who will address non-motor features; Dr. Veerle Baeklandt who will discuss the role of alpha-synuclein aggregation in MSA; and Dr. Alberto Espay, the acclaimed author of the book “Brain Fables”, will elaborate on his theory of a new research paradigm in neurodegenerative diseases.

In addition to these keynotes, there will be research updates and discussions on topics such as nutrition, caregiving and mindfulness (including a demonstration!). Attendees will have a chance to ask questions directly of the speakers, a rare opportunity to interact with so many experts in one place and at one time. Included will also be patient and caregiver breakout sessions, so everyone can share their story and engage with others in similar circumstances.

Reflecting on the timeliness of the conference, Philip Fortier, Defeat MSA Alliance’s founding chair, stressed “the urgency of this unmet need” especially given a lack of awareness among the wider medical community.   “It is very much a social justice issue, as the old civil rights slogan commanded us: If not us, then who, if not now, then when?” “ We have a duty to care for those most in need, and those people with multiple system atrophy, worldwide, very much fit this bill” said Fortier. 

Sandra Bettenhausen, VP of Defeat MSA Alliance shared these comments on the virtual format:  “For a devastating rare disease such as MSA the virtual format provides a sense of support and community to those patients and caregivers who are otherwise on a lonely isolating journey.”

Muhammad Younas, Founder and CEO of vFairs, added, “The rare disease community is very  specific and yet spread across the world. It is important to bring rare disease specialists such as those connected with MSA together in one place and time to help patients and the whole community worldwide and we are happy Vfairs could help.”

About Defeat MSA

Realizing that much of the current attention is focused on more widely known diseases, Multiple System Atrophy is often overlooked. MSA patients are confronted with a dim prognosis and left with few options. Defeat MSA Alliance is an inclusive US based 501(c)(3) charity that aspires to balance efforts to support patients, educate medical professionals, raise public awareness, nurture promising research and advocate for the MSA community. To read more about Defeat MSA Alliance, please visit: www.DefeatMSA.org

In 2020, as the major US organization, Defeat MSA Alliance and 8 other partnering organizations formed: MSA United International, a global consortium dedicated to the defeat of Multiple System Atrophy. To learn more about the Consortium, visit: www.MSAunited.org

About vFairs

vFairs is a physical, virtual and hybrid events platform that helps organizations reach global audiences. We help organizations of all sizes host amazing online conferences, trade shows, job fairs and more. The platform offers an intuitive virtual experience along with interactive features such as audio/video chat, excellent scalability, and several customization options.